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Hobo 13
Plot Summary When Zim's constant requests to the Tallest get on their nerves, they attempt to remind him that he is an Invader, not a battle soldier, and that he doesn’t have the training to use the equipment he requested. Zim is adamant, however, so the ever-crafty Tallest make a deal: in order for Zim to prove himself to them, they send him to Hobo 13, an elite training facility that only the best of soldiers stand a chance of completing with their limbs intact. Meanwhile, the Tallest use this opportunity to make bets among their subjects. When all of them bet against Zim's survival, however, they force a lowly Service Drone named Bob to bet 500,000 monies on Zim succeeding. (This is the second time in the series that the Irkens cheer for Zim; the first is in Battle of the Planets.) On Hobo 13, Zim joins a large group of other trainees of various species, including Skoodge - who has also been promised a reward from the Tallest in the event that he passes, and a female made from crystal. The person in charge of the tests is a hulking, brutal veteran from an unknown species, who is irritated by Zim from the start. He explains to the trainees that they will be expected to complete a series of grueling challenges in order to maintain their honor; anyone who fails will be eliminated and transported to the "Holding Pen of Pain." As such, the group is strongly encouraged to choose the best possible contestant to be their leader... almost instantly, however, Zim chooses himself as the leader. Unsurprisingly, Zim is far from an ideal leader; in almost every challenge, he unnecessarily exploits his teammates in order to achieve victory. During one challenge, where they had to cross a canyon inhabited by the meat-thirsty Hogulus, Zim actually punts Skoodge into the canyon to distract the beast; when the Sergeant calls him on it, he tries to drain energy from another teammate's suit to have enough power to lift and throw a boulder at the monster. He gives up quickly when this proves to be too slow of a process. However, Zim himself remains intact throughout the challenges, disgusting the Sergeant, chagrining the Tallest and delighting Bob. Finally, Zim has only one teammate left with him upon reaching the Fortress of Pain - who he promptly uses as a battering ram to break down the Fortress' doors. Expecting victory, Zim eagerly scurries in, but he is met by the Sergeant, who expresses his disgust with Zim's callous recklessness. However, impressed by his tenacity, he challenges Zim to a duel, saying that it will be his final challenge. At first, the Sergeant has the upper hand, but Zim uses a technique to drain energy from his opponent's power suit into his own, defeating him easily and completing the challenge. After Zim wins, the Tallest give him his own ship; however, they lock the controls, setting Zim (and the bound-and-gagged Table Head Service-Drone Bob) on a crash collision course for the Sun. It is unknown how Zim and Bob escaped. Soundtrack The following tracks from the episode are found in the Invader Zim Promotion Disc, and are in order, as follows: * Hobo's Theme * Gear Fight Facts of Doom Cultural References *When Zim is leading his squad through the swamp filled with aliens, Zim throws a rock towards his other team members and the aliens attack them by attaching to their faces. This manner of attack may be a reference to the Alien ''films. * The cybernetic alien in the maze section of the course resembles one of the Squid machines from the Matrix films. Trivia of Doom *This is one of the episodes with DVD easter eggs. *This is Skoodge's last appearance in ''Invader Zim before cancellation. *Some fourth wall breakage occurs when Zim flies from Earth to Hobo 13, and says, "GIR! GIR! Check it out!"; he starts singing the first part of the Invader Zim Theme Song. * Skoodge apparently died when the Almighty Tallest convinced him to become part of the cannon sweep in "Battle of the Planets," but when Zim says, "Skoodge? I thought the Almighty Tallest killed you!", he replies, "Yeah, but I'm okay now." * One of the aliens in this episode looks similar to a Skoolchild on Earth named Zootch. There is speculation saying he, like Zim, is an alien in disguise. Inconsistencies and Animation Errors *Invader Skoodge doesn't have a PAK in this episode, despite the fact that Irkens can only live without their PAK for ten minutes. *When Sergeant Hobo 678 was hitting the Hogulus towards the end of the episode, his right arm was flashing. *The color of the metal on Sergeant Hobo 678's head keeps changing colors throughout this episode. *When Skoodge landed at the Hogulus' hooves, his pants disappear. *Shortly after Tallest Purple says he needs a refill, the camera angle changes and it shows the glass as being completely full, though he never got the refill he requested. *Several of the aliens have no power suit. Although the two without arms and legs cannot physically wear a power suit (apart from the back device over Zim's PAK, but it's possible that that is specifically designed for an Irken PAK) there are three aliens that can wear a power suit, but simply don't. *When Zim climbs out of the canyon, three of his teammates came back after being eliminated in the first challenge. *In the final scene, Table-Headed Service Drone Bob has one free hand, which he uses to gesture towards the Sun. However, he doesn't simply use that hand to take the tape off of his mouth and tell Zim. *When Zim was talking to the Tallest and the camera was behind Tallest Red and Purple, Purple's PAK was the same color of his body armor until he was seen again. * Before Zim opens the door by slamming Throbulator's head against it, look at Zim's eyes when he says, "Yes... soldier". They don't move when Zim's head moves back a bit. * Shortly after the Sergeant lectures them about a leader's responsibilities, Zim says "My battle tanks await...." but his mouth says something else. * After Sergeant Hobo 678 says, " The Outhouse of Madness! " Zim says " Eh?" and then there is a sound of a flushing toilet. Concept Art Alexovich_Aliens_nub.jpg‎| Nub Bubbins Alien Alexovich_Aliens_zootch.jpg‎| Zootch Alien See Also *Hobo 13 (Transcript) *Hobo 13 Screenshots Category:Season 1 Category:Zim Filmography Category:GIR Filmography Category:Almighty Tallest Filmography Category:Episodes Category:Skoodge Filmography Category:Altered Episodes